1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to container closures. More specifically, the invention relates to a tamper evident or evidencing container closure of the type having a dispensing orifice and a closure cap.
2. Discussion of the Relevant Art
In recent years, a heightened emphasis has been placed upon utilization or tamper proof of tamper evidencing or evident closures for containers. This is particularly true for containers utilized for storage of human ingestible materials.
A known class of such containers employs caps or closures having dispensing orifices therethrough. Such orifices may be used in connection with, for example, squeeze bottles or the like. A typical such cap includes a base section which closes the container except for a dispensing opening and a movable stopper section providing a plug or stopper for the opening. In such caps the stopper carrying section is movable from an orifice closing position to an orifice opening position. The stopper carrying section may be in integral part of the closure, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,151, or may be formed as a separate but attached piece as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,595,123 and 4,441,637.
Such stopper carrying section must, of necessity, be relatively easy to open to allow the container to be used for its intended purpose. However, ease of opening of the stopper carrying section allows for possible tampering with the contents of the container to occur. While it is known to utilize foil or paper seal overlays covering the openings of the containers beneath the base top surface section, which overlays must be broken or removed prior to dispensing of the contents of the containers, such overlays are not a sufficient detriment to tampering. For example, stick-on overlays can be surreptitiously opened by steaming or the like. Additionally, the overlays can be an undesired added expense.
It has also been known to make the stopper carrying section physically a part of the base top surface section and to provide a tear strip portion in the connection between the two sections (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,255,928; 3,651,992; and 4,081,108). While such tear strip portions provide an indication of tampering, they are often difficult or inconvenient to remove or require very difficult molding or assembly.
It would therefore be an advance in the art to provide a dispensing orifice type closure having means preventing opening of the stopper carrying member which means are easily removable but which, when removed, provided indication of tampering, and which means further are both inexpensive and difficult to circumvent.
It would be a further advance in the art if such a tamper evidencing or evident closure could be provided in connection with an easily attached but substantially nonremovable closure cap to container interface.